Healing chronic skin-related issues is one of the leading health-related concerns globally. Infection-prone skin ulcers are agonizingly painful for patients. A patient not only has to endure the pain, in many cases the pain can only be resolved by limb amputation.
But now a new study has found that low-intensity ultrasound can greatly reduce the healing time of skin ulcers and bedsores. The study was conducted jointly by researchers from the University of Sheffield and University of Bristol in the UK.
The researchers discovered that the ultrasound transmits a vibration through the skin and wakes up cells in wounds, helping to stimulate and speed up the healing process. The vibrating sound waves from the hand-held device can reduce wound healing time by up to 30%.
The main advantage of the low-intensity ultrasound treatment is that it is completely non-invasive and has no side effects at all. This patient-centric treatment is especially useful for diabetics and the elderly.
The ultrasound treatment could be available for clinical use within the next three to four years after refining the treatment through further testing.
